How Taylor Swift Went from “Tim McGraw” to “Bad Blood”

For Taylor Swift fans, today is kind of a big deal: On June 19 nine years ago, the now 25-year-old singer released her first single, “Tim McGraw.” Swift was just sixteen when the song came out and it would quickly go on to become a massive success. A year later, she even caught the attention of the titular country star when she was asked to open for him on his nationwide tour with Faith Hill.

Just shy of the ten-year mark of her music career, she’s won countless awards, transcended genres, and even saved a few lives. The normally effusive Swift marked the occasion with a pretty straightforward tweet:

Let’s take a look back at her most notable singles over the past nine years and see her spectacular evolution as an artist and entertainer. Here’s how Taylor Swift went from country princess to “Bad Blood” diva.

1. “Tim McGraw”

Taylor’s first single is an absolute country classic. It’s a song about a lovelorn girl and her favorite songs—a motif that will follow Swift through her career.

2. “Teardrops On My Guitar”

Although “Tim McGraw” was a modest hit, her next single brought her to the national stage. “Teardrops On My Guitar” was a huge single on country and pop radio and catapulted her into a star. The video is quintessential early Swift, blonde curls and all

3. “Love Story”

“Love Story” was the first single from Swift’s second studio album, Fearless. It went eight times platinum and its music video has been watched more than 230 million times. It’s an epic song—those violins!—about true love. What’s not to like?

4. “You Belong With Me”

This song is Swift’s signature underdog song. It was nominated for three Grammy Awards in 2010 and went multi-platinum in the U.S. The song’s video, which shows Swift as the cheer captain, as well as the lonely girl on the bleachers, is iconic and has spawned countless imitators.

5. “Mean”

Taylor picks up the banjo on this song, which takes aim at her toughest critics. It’s a message that has been a huge part of the second half of her career—not listening to any haters. This is Taylor at her most aspirational, while still staying true to her country roots.

6. “Safe & Sound”

This collaboration with the musical duo The Civil Wars landed on the soundtrack for the first Hunger Games movie, and it’s one of Swift’s darkest singles but is still very notable in its own right. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and won a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media (Swift’s seventh Grammy Award to date).

7. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”

Taylor showed her full pop side with the release of Red in 2012. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” was her first number-one single and it’s easy to see why. With an infectious chorus, the single-girl anthem just begs to be sung along to whenever possible.

8. “Shake It Off”

T-Swift’s first single from last year’s 1989 was an instant smash, debuting at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for two weeks. If you’ve left your house in the past year, you’ve heard this song at least ten times.

9. “Bad Blood” (ft. Kendrick Lamar)

Taylor’s latest single, which recently hit number one, may end up becoming her first-ever song of the summer. The video for the song, which stars a bunch of her friends like Selena Gomez, Zendaya, and Lena Dunham, set a record for Vevo’s most-watched video in a single day, with 20.1 million views.